CHILDREN

FIFA World Cup starts tomorrow

Dear Children,

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will begins tomorrow (11) to July 11 in South Africa for the 19th time. I am sure there must be many football fans among you children. After all, football is the most popular sport in the world.

The FIFA World Cup, also called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the men’s national teams of the members of Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), the sport’s global governing body.

The current tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation over a period of about a month.

During the 18 tournaments that have been held, seven nations have won the title with Brazil leading the way. Brazil have won the World Cup a record five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. Italy, the current champions, have won four titles, and Germany are next with three titles.

The other former champions are Uruguay, winners of the inaugural tournament, and Argentina, with two titles each, and England and France, with one title each.

Do you know that The World Cup is the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world? According to news reports an estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. The 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil.

National Nutrition Month

June has been named the National Nutrition Month. Activities of the Nutrition Month will be carried out aiming at youth on the theme ‘Proper youth nutrition for the future progress of the country’.

According to medical sources a person’s physical, social, bio-chemical changes take place and intelligence and mental development occurs in-between the ages of 10 to 19. Therefore maintaining proper nutrition standards at that stage is essential.

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry will promote healthy and nutritious short eats among the youths to mark this year’s Nutrition Month as the younger generation is addicted to unhealthy and less nutritious short eats.

It is very important to have a healthy, nutritious and balanced meal for both physical and mental development of one’s life. Good food habits are specially important for growing children.

Children should include green and yellow vegetables in their meals. Fresh fruits and plenty of water will help to keep your body healthy and strong.

However one should not forget that it is the quality of the food that matters and not the quantity. As you may already be aware malnutrition is a major problem that children of poor and developing countries face and over-nutrition is problem for the rich countries.

So be healthy. Even The Buddha said health is the best happiness.

Bye for now. Have fun.

- Aunt Anji

- Part 24

Unwanted enthusiasm?

By Uncle Sachi and Aunt Ruwi

In ‘Kid’s Den’...

Four children, Pramodaka, Nalaka, Champika and Chinthaka, go on a trip to the woods with their parents for their school holidays. In the middle of the night the children are awakened by a strange noise.

On following their dog, Scooby, Chinthaka is snared by the spell of the ‘luring stones’. Pramodaka departs with Ruwi, a pixie, to recall a book of spell to cast off the spell while the others remain behind with Sachi, a gnome. A storm breaks and the kids are scattered.

Meanwhile Sulo, the goblin who is always trying to make trouble for the mythical creatures, comes up with a nasty plan. She rushes off gang up the rest of her pack and reveals an age old secret.

However the group discovers that it is not only Sulo’s secret that is uncovered by the storm. Something dark and deadly had been hidden in the depths of the earth waiting to release itself and return for revenge...

(‘Return of the Kids’ is the sequel to ‘Kid’s Den’)

Diane, the pixie was very upset. She had been working so hard but all the important tasks have been handed over to those who were less capable. True they were senior and had been on the job for a longer time than her but still... She had only encountered those in the woods recently.

Her parents hail from the North but she was staying with her aunt for sometime because she wished to make her name among the pixie clan by excelling in magic.

The wood was the best place to start off with especially because it’s the place in which many evil spirits have been vanquished but now, after she had stayed there for a few months she began to have doubts.

She was a hard worker and did not like to idle around.

There were so many pixies, brownies and gnomes who seemed to be doing just that. She did not mind that much if only they would let her do her bit.

She had helped Dilshi with mixing new colours for the new species of flora that had been named by the Graceful One last week and the week before she had aided Dunn, Ishani and Priam with the harvest festival.

Dunn had treated her rather shabbily while making off with Emida while Razik had been his charming self till he got the task done! Ishani had gotten all the credit for her work because the decorations had come out very well. She didn’t mind that... if only they would show a bit more appreciation and value her enthusiasm...

“What do you think you are doing? That task is not assigned to you. Razik will work magic to cultivate that wasteland,” a grim looking Naks had informed her when she had tried to help others during her free time.

“I was only trying to help...” she trailed off realizing that it was no use. She had tried once to speak to him and even Chief Jay but it was no use. Her complains fell on deaf ears.

“Why don’t you look towards giving a bit more work to Diane? She is getting restless,” Jay had informed the gnome leaders once.

“I’ll see about it later,” Naks had said.

“It’s no use waiting. She is keen to learn. We don’t get many of that sort here.”

Discussions have taken place but only a little progress was to be seen.

Finally in desperations she had decided to take upon her self a momentous task. She would visit the Elders’ headquarters and speak to them once and for all.

But what she didn’t know was that she had a bigger role to play before she thought of quitting. A role that will carve her name out in history.

To be continued

The moon

The moon comes at night
With her friends - stars so bright
The moon is very cool and whole
In light and sight in the night.
The moon shows us her face
With beaming smile in each phase
Of her departing journey so soon
After a fortnight it shines as full moon.

M R M Shazny, Grade 4, Harrow International School, Welamboda

A bright morning

The hazy sky
The sun just lifted up over the trees
The slanting rays falling on silvery sand
Filtering through the branches of trees and,
The golden sun sends its rays
In all the ways,
Dews are falling and falling on the grass,
Showing a picturesque scenery of brass
When sun is shining erasing the gloom
The attractive flowers too bloom
Everything becomes bright,
By the glittering sun’s light
With the chirping of birds merrily,
Whole world gets up happily
To spend the arrived day meaningfully.

R D Ashani Erandika Jayasundara, 9E (English medium), Royal National College, Moneragala

Children of the Janadhipathi Vidyalaya, Pilapitiya, Kelaniya held their annual Sinhala and Hindu New Year festival at its school grounds recently. Here children participating in a baby cycle race, organised by its Principal Anura Gunaratne and the staff. Picture by Edward Weerasinghe, Kelaniya Group Correspondent

A traditional New Year dance presented by children of Blooming Buds Montessori Dibbedda, Panadura at their Bak Maha Ulela recently. Panadura North Group Corr. - Susil Ratnaweera